The Philippines and six other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have started negotiations on a proposed Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TTSP).

The first meeting of the technical working group on TTSP was held in Manila for three days until March 27 by representatives from the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

In a press statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that under the proposed TTSP, “sentenced persons who are citizens of like-minded ASEAN member states, including Filipinos, may be transferred to their home countries to serve the remainder of their sentences.”

It said the “mechanism promotes social reintegration and rehabilitation by allowing persons deprived of liberty to remain closer to their families and within familiar cultural and social environments.”

The Philippines has TTSPs with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Spain, and Thailand.

The United Arab Emirates also signed a TTSP with the Philippines which still needs concurrence by the Senate.

The TTSPs with Canada and the United Kingdom have yet to enter into force, the DOJ said.

The meeting with six other ASEAN member countries “marked the formal commencement of negotiations on the proposed TTSP among like-minded ASEAN Member States,” it said.

The DOJ also said: “Delegations engaged in substantive and productive discussions on the respective legal systems and domestic frameworks of participating states and concluded the first reading of the draft treaty. A number of issues remain for further deliberation in subsequent meetings.”

The Philippine delegation to the meeting was headed by Senior State Counsel Grace L. Estrada who was accompanied by Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin L. Chan and Assistant Chief State Counsel Mildred B. Alvor.